Join Us
by FlyingShibaInu
Summary: Chidori approached Shinjiro at the back alley. [1]


Chidori arrived at his gravestone, a normal and plain gravestone she expected it to be. The edges were rough and minimal information was given to the observer, only the full name and a four-digit number. It suited him well.

She breathed the chill air of winter. There was nothing to say to him and she wasn't here to cry or grief. Standing there in silence, she looked at the representation of him, a rock. He was no longer here. He never was, yet adults fed them beautiful fantasies of spirits in heaven.

_Pfft_, Chidori could almost hear him laughed. _I'd rather be in hell. It's warmer._

He was killed by violence, they said. What a lie. She remembered. She knew, but there was no one she could tell all these stories to. Not Junpei. That would needlessly worry him. They were living a peaceful life and battles were a faraway memory.

Chidori might have come here only to read _Aragaki Shinjiro_ craved on a piece of rock. A gravestone was concrete evidence of human, just like coffins. They wanted to be remembered. They wanted a place to stand tall, though coffins were for the body, and gravestones were for the soul.

At least, this piece of rock could listen to his story. It could listen to her.

* * *

It had been a few months since the incident at the site. It was labeled as a car accident. The building the car had crashed into was completely fixed. The news had quiet down, except that the car was actually his Persona, and a mother in the building was dead in the accident. And her only child survived.

Chidori sensed it that day when his Persona went berserk. He had the same problem as them. When his Persona went out of control, he ran to the Tower of Demise. Sometimes, he came out with a bored face. Sometimes, he crawled out and fell unconscious at the entrance. She would heal him and walk away. She kept observing him. No one had come to meet him, nor had he gone to visit anyone in particular. He stayed in an abandoned place near the accident site. It should be safe to approach him.

Chidori walked through the narrow alley, leaving shallow footsteps behind. Her shoes were as white as the snow she stepped on. Chidori noticed him from the distance, standing at that place in the back alley. He was leaning against a wall with a beanie covering the upper half of his face and a maroon peacoat that made him stood out from the white tinting the surrounding.

"Aragaki Shinjiro," she called him.

The beanie guy turned to look at her. It was not a glare. "Who are you?"

"Chidori." She observed him more. He wore a black turtleneck under the coat. His hair was a mess. His hands were shoved in the coat pockets. It was winter and people would try to keep warm. It should be cold, yet Chidori felt nothing in her lolita dress. It kept her warm enough, or was it her body that was numb?

Shinjiro glanced around. The place was empty. The town was deserted. There were no cars, no humans. Most families would prefer to stay in their houses. To do what, Chidori never knew, but she could imagine how different it would be to stay in a small, secure place instead of being outside in the open.

"You are weak," Chidori said. "You need our help."

Shinjiro didn't seem surprised. "I don't need your help."

"You are strong, but you are too weak to control your own strength." Chidori needed to make him interested in Strega's offer. "Persona is the strength of heart. Your heart is weak right now. If you don't do something-"

"I'll die. I know," Shinjiro said in a matter-of-fact tone.

That would be a problem. Chidori didn't want him to die yet. He could go into the Tower of Demise on his own. He would be a great help to Strega. "We should meet first."

"Why would I?"

"You should know this." Chidori took out a metallic bottle and shook it, rattling the pills inside. "We could hand you many of these if you cooperate with us."

"I said I don't need your help." Shinjiro turned away. He was more stubborn than she thought. She thought he would want a chance to save himself. After he took the drugs, it won't be painful anymore. He wouldn't need to struggle or risk his life in the tower to calm his Persona down.

Shinjiro, you can't die like a street dog. "We can help. We need your help, and we will keep asking until you cooperate."

"I could go hide," he said.

"I know where you sleep." Survive for now. "I will say it again, I could help you. I want to talk to you. That is all."

Shinjiro looked at her, this time, in the eye. "Fine."


End file.
